Third Time's....

Well, we hope it will be the charm.  Poor little O had tubes put in her ears for the THIRD time last week (Aug. 13).

But, she was very brave and hopefully this will clear up those cute little ears once and for all.

Poor Matt had to be out of town on an unavoidable business trip.  Luckily, we are surrounded by grandparents that jumped into action.

My parents took the morning shift and met us at the surgery center and held (my) hand while we waited for Olivia to be done with her procedure.

I had stuffed her backpack with lots of new toys/coloring stuff to keep her busy while we waited.

And, of course, this little one's "Dean" genes shine through and help her make friends anywhere (we Mehtas are far too shy for that sort of thing!) ;)

And lots of new Peppa's on the iPad helped to pass the time as well.

We all went back for the pre-op check-up and she was her usual silly-self.  (Although she told me she did not like it when the nurse's computer made the blood pressure machine "hug her")

And, then my brave girl went with the nurses by herself for the surgery, while Mimi, Grandpa and I waited.  Like the past few times, I set my clock and at 19 minutes they called me back to see her.

This sad little face kills me every time!

She woke up pretty quickly and was confused, but not crying.  Unfortunately, that anesthesia got her pretty nauseous.

But, after she threw-up she felt better and I quickly took her home and put her down for a nap.

She slept for about 3 hours and then woke up happy as a clam.  Matt's parents came over in the evening to see her and bring Zoe's (of course!) for dinner.

We are so thankful that our girl did well with her surgery and hope that this is the last one!

McGuire Dean 2015

We took our 4th annual McGuire/Dean Summer Family Vacation this year with a quick trip to Austin.  We rented a house in a lovely, child-friendly neighborhood that had a pool and literally the neighborhood park in the back yard.  It was the perfect venue for lots of fun, food, and family.  I've said it before, but time with the McGuires is just good for the Dean soul and through the years, these friends have become family that we absolutely adore.  Trips are easy, stress-free and always include lots of laughter, the solving of the world's problems, and full bellies!

Plus, watching Olivia and Harris grow up and now play with each other is about the best thing ever.  I don't have a brother, but I think that their relationship is about as close as we will get to the brother/sister one.  I think their relationship is best summed up by this exchange:

Kids playing quietly/nicely with balls
Olivia: Harris - can I have the purple ball?
Harris: Will you give it back to me when you're done?
Olivia: No, I will never give it back to you (dead serious)
Harris: Well then I'm not giving you the purple ball
Some wrestling/fighting ensues and each kid is ordered to their own corner for a break
2 minutes later....
Olivia: Harris!  Harris!  The strangers are back!  Let's go to the window and watch them (as they stand next to each other at the window laughing) (Note - we do not condone or encourage the "watching of strangers" as play time activities.  We aren't sure where this game came from and we are concerned!)

For those of you who know Matt, you know his tendency to rile kids up.  And, that love of wildness knows no greater joy than Olivia and Harris.  And, lucky for him, Olivia and Harris are about 2 of the most "rile-able" kids I know.  The favorite game for the weekend was one Harris dubbed "Uncle Bye Bye" -- wherein he and Olivia dunk Uncle Matt under the water.  (Note that "Mommy Bye Bye" and "Aunt Persis Bye Bye" were quickly shot down).

  

The nice back patio provided the perfect place for lunches and snack-time

And we always eat well on these trips!

We planned the trip around the Austin Ice Cream festival.  And, I couldn't pass up the chance to get the kiddos matching shirts.  I mean.  That is just TOO MUCH.

The hot Texas sun made this event a real scorcher, but once we got some ice cream in all our bellies, everyone was a lot happier.

The Festival had a huge covered pavilion that provided a temporary break from the heat and we made that our "home base" while the adults took turns getting samples for everyone.

They also had about 1 million popsicle sticks for the kids to play with.  Some serious work going on here...

And, much to my delight, this marked the day when Miss Olivia's love for sno cones really was born (Its about time by the way!)

And Sunday morning, we headed up to Georgetown to show the kids where it all began.  We treated them to Monument Cafe which is even more delicious than I remembered it being!

And then, of course, good ol' SU!

And the visit ended with a little fun on the Academic Mall.  (Note that I tried to imagine our college selves and whether we would have been able to picture that this would be our future.  Nope.  I don't think we could have ever dreamed this.  I can't think of a better way to end the trip.)

And Olivia has only asked about next year's trip 1 million times since then!

Fancy Nancy

Our fun with the Williams sisters continued once Aunt KK was back in town with a girls trip to the theater - to see Fancy Nancy.  Olivia has been doing better sitting through plays and movies, so when Kate asked me if we wanted to go, I knew she would be ready.

We bought the book and soundtrack ahead of time, so when the big day came - we were PUMPED.

The day before, we got a special treat in the mail - our dear friend Blythe surprised Olivia with her dance costume.  To say Olivia loved it would be the understatement of the century.  She immediately asked if she could wear it to Fancy Nancy and practically slept with it next to her.

My fancy girl and I before the show

All the littles

The show was great - I highly recommend it.  It was the perfect length and kept her attention well.  The best part was after the show all the cast is waiting to take pictures and sign autographs.  Having been to Disney, she was an autograph pro and LOVED this!

And we finished the afternoon off with lunch at a local restaurant that is known for their kid-friendly environment (think iPads for kids to play on & a giant wall of candy!)

For me, the best part of this experience has been after the show watching Olivia realize little things she missed and trying to put the story together.  We listen to the soundtrack on repeat, non-stop at our house, but she will constantly ask questions about characters and the story-line.  I almost wish I could take her again - next year for sure!

Williams Sisters Sleepover

While Aunt KK and Uncle E enjoyed a trip to Europe for their #honeymoonredo, the Deans enjoyed a weekend hosting the Williams sisters.  Some of my fondest memories from growing up include sleep-overs at Kate's house, so watching the next generation begin this lovely tradition are memories I will cherish.

We started the weekend off with some pedicures.

Followed by a pizza dinner, movies and popcorn.

After a few hours of sleep, we were up and at 'em for a Paint Party co-hosted by me, along with a few other mom's from Olivia's school.  This is one of our annual sign-up parties for Olivia's school and I think all the kids loved the idea of getting messy, but were quickly worn out by this Houston heat!

The "hosts" enjoying some donuts before everyone arrived

The "paint wall" was my contribution to the party -- it took 3 different kinds of tape, but we finally got it to stick!

And all the kids got their very own canvas to decorate.  We noticed a common theme throughout most of the 3-4 year old pieces of art - it all started out really nice, with separate colors and an "abstract" look.  But, as the artists continued to paint, the colors all got mixed together and nearly every picture looked the exact same - a messy glob of brownish-blackish paint!

One of the moms also brought a face painting kit, so the kiddos soon lined up to have their faces painted.  Before long, I noticed that the mom was no longer painting faces, and instead, sweet little Sof had taken over -- doing a FANTASTIC job.

This sweet little girl patiently and meticulously painted the faces of all 15 of the little toddlers.  (Although in the car she told us she needed a tip jar!)

Little sister was impressed with her fancy work!

And soon, I looked over to see 2 of my little ladies sitting like this and asking to go home.

So we gathered our tired 3, went home and put on a movie for naptime.  We had such a fun weekend and we can't wait for the next Williams/Dean sleepover!  (Aunt KK - I'm looking at you!)